When it comes to archery, choosing a bow might be a matter of price or lack of experience, but the archery arrows must be perfect in order to supplement and complete a bow’s weaknesses. The first question someone should ask before choosing arrows is what is he/she going to use the bow for: hunting, tournaments or target-shooting.
Arrows for archery can be made of:
Wood – the first arrows used by the human being were made of wood and they were used for a number of things. Today, wooden arrows are mostly preferred when it comes to longbow tournaments or beginners exercises. Their main disadvantage is that they’re sensitive to shocks and they easily break-up; there are also some differences between the weight and the shape of this kind of arrows that prevent from obtaining consistent results. However, being quite cheap, they’re useful for practice.
Fiberglass – A more suitable material for a hunter nowadays. Fiberglass arrows are more consistent and uniform that the wooden ones. They’re also adaptable to the archers’ strength and length. However, they’re still breakable and have to be replaced quite often.
Aluminium – aluminum could be used for archery target arrows as their consistency and reliability are higher than in wood or fiberglass. They can be built in different sizes and types and their arrowheads can be transferred from one to another. Their durability makes them perfect for hunting or competing, but only if used by professionals; the costs are quite elevated and usually a beginner can’t afford buying too many of them.
Carbon – These are definitely the best type of arrows for archery existing on the market. Carbon archery bows and arrows are the choice a serious archer would make if asked. Their speed and durability cannot be compared with anything else. Because of the way they’re done (a shell of carbon around an aluminium core), makes them more resistant and increases their endurance in time. They’re not the most suitable archery target arrows, because when they’re struck (like in a target) their shell/wrapping might break-down. The main disadvantage of this type of arrows is definitely the price, as it is too high to be affordable for everyone.
When choosing arrows, one should be also attentive to fletches. They’re mainly built of plastic, feathers or just a synthetic material. Their role is to give the arrow stability and increase speed. Another important detail about arrow is the point, measured in grains. Each archer chooses a certain point, according to his purposes: target shooting (lighter points), hunting (heavier points).
Of course, a professional would choose a carbon archery bow and arrows, but beginners can make good choices as well, if they know what their aim is. If the budget for the bow is rather modest, then the archer should focus on buying archery arrows of a higher quality, made of the most suitable material for their activities.